Combination drying and tentering machine



Feb. 20, 1962 H. FLEISSNER COMBINATION DRYING AND TENTERING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 4, 1959 Feb. 20, 1962 H. FLEISSNER 3,021,607

COMBINATION DRYING AND TENTERING MACHINE Filed Feb. 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR /%'//vz Has s/va? 7% Q42 and Tau ATTORNEYS 3,021,6ti7 COMBINATIQN DRYING AND TENTEG MACHINE Heinz Fleissner, Egelsbach, Germany, assignor to Firma Fleissner & Sohn, G.m.b.H., Egelsbach, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Filed Feb. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 791,125 Claims priority, application Germany Mar. 31, 1958 7 Claims. (Cl. 34-115) This invention relates to the treatment of textile materials, such as tricot, knitted and other fabrics and more particularly to a drying and tentering machine for textiles.

ln textile manufacture it becomes often necessary to impregnate or moisten textile material at one stage to be treated with a suitable liquid .or water, after which a drying stage follows. However the drying process poses the problem of avoiding shrinkage of the material. Suitable apparatuses for taking into account both the drying operation and shrinkage prevention have been known in the art.

A machine of this type is relatively expensive and inflexible, and takes up quite some space to carry out the drying and shrinkage prevention stages. Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to'provide means contributing to an efficacious, highly economical and simplified machine for drying and for preventing shrinkage-of textile materials, while the same are continuously moved at full width through the machine.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means affording safe and uniform drying and tentering of textile goods of the aforesaid type within a minimum of space and at relatively high speed.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide means facilitating the disposition of the moving textile web over a predetermined surface portion of the peripheries of a battery of drum means, whereby shrinkage of the web will be etfectively prevented either while relatively strong suction takes place urging the web of a selected width against said surface or in the case of working with relatively reduced suction guiding and applying said web at a greater than its ordinary width to the respective drying drum means.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of means rendering the possibility of tentering the web either prior to or after the same has passed or is trained over selected drying drum portions, whereby the tentering chain drive with pins or like devices may partly extend onto or in the proximity of the respective drum portion.

Yet another object ofthe present invention is to provide means conducive to easily regulated operational conditions, whereby the temperature of the drying medium, the relative speed of movement of the web to the drying drum portions (rotatable or stationary) and the intensity of the suction effect of said medium may be adjusted to comply with all practical requirements.

It is also an important object of the present invention to provide means eliminating heretofore employed auxiliary devices to effectuate a pre-drying stage for the wet or impregnated web material, as the suction effect at the said drum portions retains said material in its working or operating position, so that an intensified, uniform and highly economical drying stage is achieved.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means redounding to a very flexible arrangement of drying stage or stages and of the tentering stage for the fabric or textile web under treatment to each other, either in various or same planes, namely in superposition or diagonal or in tandem relation to each other.

These and other objects of the invention will become 3,fi2l,6? Patented Feb. 2c, 1962 further apparent from the following detailed description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing showing preferred embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows in diagrammatic form a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 somewhat modified;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are sectional views of further modifications pursuant to the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 6--6 of FIG. 4.

In the several figures of the attached drawing, like reference numerals indicate same or similar parts of the machine or apparatus according to the invention.

Referring now more specifically to FIG. 1, the wet textile material 1 is fed by suitable means (not shown) to a drying station or first part of enclosure means, generally indicated as at 44 and thence to a stretching station or second part of enclosure means, generally indicated as at 56, and located at a predetermined distance from the drying station in accordance with the direction of arrow A. In contradistinction to the embodiments illustrated in the FIGS. 4 and 5, the drying and stretching stations of FIG. 1 are arranged in tandem relation in two separate enclosure means 4%, 59.

The drying station includes a substantially sealed pressure chamber 41 having an inlet opening 42. for receiving the incoming textile web, and an outlet opening 43 for discharging said web and directing same ultimately to the web stretching station 50. Within the chamber 4 1 there are disposed three hollow, perforated or sieve-like drying drums 2, 3, and 4. The latter are provided with axes that extend transversely of the general direction of web motion A, which axes are coplanarly disposed.

The drums may be rotatable about their respective axes or may be stationary as required. They are further provided with respective generally semicircular interior cover or shutter members 44, 45 and 46 which are located closely adjacent the lower periphery portion of drum 2, the upper periphery portion of drum 3 and the lower periphery portion of drum 4. The purpose of the cover or shutter members will be apparent hereinafter; in any event, they are stationary even in the case of rotating drums.

The web material 1 is guided along suitable guide or slide means 30, which may also serve to stretch the Web in transverse direction of its motion through opening 42, the material being thence urged to engagement of the upper periphery portion of drum 2 by idler roller 21. The web then passes over the upper periphery portion of drum 2, the lower periphery portion of drum 3, and is finally trained over the upper periphery portion of drum 4. Before its discharge the material is thence guided over roller 22 through said outlet 43.. Fan or blower means (not shown) are provided within chamber 41 for directing currents of a compressed heated medium,

such as air, through the web passing over the drums, thence through the perforations of the latter into the interior of the drums, and ultimately to suitable exhaust means connected with the latter (not shown). The cover or shutter members 44, 45, and 46 serve to prevent suction of the hot medium into the drums throu h the respective portions of the drum peripheries, which are not engaged by the fabric web.

The entering station 50 includes a chamber 51 which may be sealed, but which is provided with a suitable inlet opening 52 for receiving the web material delivered from outlet opening 43, and has further an outlet open- .ing 53 for discharging the stretched web material. An

endless conveyor belt 27 is provided within the chamber 51, carrying the web material from opening 52 to opening 53. The outer web-engaging surface of conveyor belt 27 is provided with a plurality of spaced rows of known clips, hooks or pins 27a, which upon contacting the web grip and therefore stretchthe same in transverse direction of its movement and also in the direction of motion of the web. The latter tentering effect may be realized by operating the conveyor chain or belt 27 at a speed slightly higher than the speed of the web prior to entry in chamber 51. Suitable web guide means 52a and 53a are provided adjacent openings 52 and 53, respectively; the former, and if desired also the latter guide means may also include known means for preliminarily stretching the web in the direction of its motion.

The chamber 51 also includes a supplemental device 28, 29 for further drying the web. Such device may include a pair of secondary hollow, blower-equipped chambers that are provided with oppositely disposed or confronting perforated walls 28a, 29a located, respectively, a

below the web carrying conveyor belt portion and above the web carried by the conveyor belt, and closely spaced from said conveyor belt 27 and web portions. Similar suction or blower means (not shown) are provided Within chamber 51 for pressing or forcing hot air or like fluid at first through the web material and conveyor belt, and the perforations 28a, 29a of the blower chambers 28 and 29, ultimately to exhausts (not shown). The conveyor belt 27 is necessarily made of a material pervious to fluid or air medium.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 is similar to that of FIG. 1, except that the drums 5, 6 and 7 within the web-drying station 40a have non-coplanar axes whereby to permit engagement by the web material 1 with peripheral portions of the drums substantially greater than the semicircular portions of the drums 2, 3 and 4 referred to in FIG. 1. This arrangement provides greater drying efiiciency in a smaller drying chamber 40a, but does require additional guide rollers 23 and 24. Further, the stretching member 30 of the arrangement in FIG. 1 may be replaced by a suitable pin or guide chain 31 that guides the web closely to and if desired, partly around the roller 23.

The arrangement of FIG. 3 is similar to that FIG. 1, except that a second drying station 40b is provided subsequently to the stretching station 50a, and that the web passes over the upper periphery portions of both drums 11 and 12 at said station 4015. This is readily achieved by means of a reversing roller 25 located intermediate guide rollers 21' and 22 located at the outer ends of the drums 1'1 and 12. The second chamber 40b may serve for the additional purpose of further processing the web material, as for example, carbonizing the same through the agency of the suction effect, as hereinabove set forth.

In the FIGS. 4 and the drying and tentering means are arranged'in superposed relation in a single chamber 41, as opposed tothe tandem relation of the previously described embodiments. As illustrated, though not absolutely necessary, the number of drums is increased to four (13 to 16 in FIG. 4 and 17 to 20 in FIG. 5); also additional reversing guide rollers 26 are required. With the arrangements as in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the drying elfici'ency is greatly increased, and also the space requirements are greatly reduced. With reference to FIG. 4, it is to be noted that in view of the provision of the single chamber 41 the drying station comprising the drums 13 to 16 is downstream of the tentering station comprising belt 27, in contrast to the machines or arrangements hereinabove described. The machines of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. are further space-saving in the respect of providing web discharge at the same side as and in opposite direction to the-web inlet of the machine. 7

Fan F is driven by motor M to draw the drying medium through the, perforations indrum 15 except at locations 7 vided according to the invention a machine for drying and tentering lengthy textile material at full width; comprising enclosure means, hollow drum means arranged in juxtaposition to each other, tentering means for imparting a stretching action to said material and for avoiding shrinkage of the latter, said tentering means being located adjacent said drum means, said enclosure means being provided with inlet means for receiving said material and for directing the same toward said drum means, outlet means connected to said enclosure means for discharging said material therefrom, said material being threaded about said drum means, respectively, so that said material contacts adjacent drum means at opposed peripheral portions of the latter, each of said drum means being defined by a peripheral wall provided with perforations passing through the wall of each drum means, whereby upon forcing a drying medium through said material and subsequently through said perforations of peripheral wall portions of said drum means contacted by said material said medium is oriented in axial direction of said drum means for being exhausted therefrom, and means located in the interior of said hollow drum means for aiding said drying medium to stream in said axial direction and for preventing entry of said drying medium from without said drum means thereinto at locations of the latter out of contact with said peripheral walls of said drum means.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and it is intended that such obvious changes and modifications be embraced by the annexed claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for drying and tentering lengthy textile material at full width; comprising enclosure means, hollow drum means arranged in juxtaposition to each other in said enclosure means, tentering means in said enclosure means including movable conveyor means for imparting a stretching action to said material to avoid shrinkage thereof, said enclosure means being provided with inlet means for receiving said material, means in said enclosure means to direct said material onto said drum means, said material being threaded about said drum means, respectively, so that said material contacts adjacent drum means at opposed. peripheral portions of the latter, said drum means being provided with perforations passing, through the peripheral wall defining each drum means, so thatupon forcing through said material and subsequently through said perforations of said drum means contacted by said material a drying medium the latter will be exhausted in axial direction of said drum means, means located in the interior of said hollow drum means for aiding said drying medium to stream in said axial direction, means to prevent entry of said drying medium from without said drum means thereinto at 10- cations of said drum means where said material remains out of contact with said drum means, means in said enclosure means for deviating said material from said drum means to said tentering means, said tentering means and said drum means being disposed adjacent each other and being substantially coextensive in length and breadth so that said drying medium will traverse the entire extent of the web on said tentering means in being sucked into said drum, and outlet means for said enclosure means for discharging, said material. therefrom.

2. A machine according to claim 1, said drum means and said tentering means being arranged in superposed position to each other in said enclosure means. 7

3. A machine according to claim 1, said inlet means and said outlet means for said material being disposed at one end only of said enclosure means.

4. A machine according to claim 1, said tentering means being positioned below said drum means in said enclosure means and being located near said inlet means.

5. A machine according to claim 1, said tentering 10 means being positioned above said drum means and adjacent said inlet means.

6. A machine according to claim 1, said tentering means and said drum means being substantially coextensive with one another in longitudinal direction of said tentering means.

7. A machine according to claim 1, said tentering means being closely arranged in regard to said drum means, so that the space therebetween is reduced to a minimum.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,377,793 Schwartz May 10, 1921 1,492,480 Robertson Apr. 29, 1924 2,061,976 Merckens Nov. 24, 1936 2,083,141 Buck June 8, 1937 2,091,805 Chuse Aug. 31, 1937 

